Enjoy Arkansas Arts: Outdoor Plays and Dinner Theater

The Great Passion Play in Eureka Springs is the most widely attended outdoor drama in the country. Running from late spring to late October, it tells the story of Jesus’ last week in larger-than-life fashion. Since 1968, it has provided a cultural touchpoint for the Ozark community.

Little Rock is an undeniable hotspot of Arkansas arts and culture. Blossoming with colorful gardens, Wildwood Park for the Performing Arts is a picture-perfect place to catch a live performance. Find eclectic plays at Arkansas Repertory Theatre and socially conscious acts at the Weekend Theater.

Fayetteville’s Walton Arts Center is known for the impeccable quality of its performers, who are brought to Arkansas from all over the world. Enjoy a throwback night on the town at Texarkana’s historic Perot Theatre. Built in 1924, this vintage venue hosts Broadway shows, music concerts, and plays.

Dinner theater is a fun way to fuse Arkansas arts and cuisine. Try the Imperial Dinner Theatre in Pocahontas or the Five Star Theatre in Hot Springs for a stimulating night on the town.

Great Passion Play

The Great Passion Play was first performed in Eureka Springs in 1968 and is now the largest attended outdoor drama in the country. Viewers take a seat in the 4,100-seat amphitheater – west of downtown Eureka Springs on Passion Play Road – for the Great Passion Play running from late spring to late October.

Other points of interest surround the play. Be sure to see a piece of the Berlin Wall, the Bible Museum, the Museum of Earth History, and the Christ of the Ozarks Statue – the largest statue of its kind in North America. North Arkansas travelers rest comfortably with Best Western hotels.

Perot Theatre

Built in 1924, the Perot Theatre is a historic performing arts center set in downtown Texakana. After receiving a full restoration in 1979, the theatre was named to the National Register of Historic Places.

Annual events held at the theatre include the Perot Theatre Series, as well as a number of top Arkansas Broadway performances making their way through southern Arkansas. Other events include musicals, concerts, plays, and movies.

Wildwood Park for the Performing Arts

Tucked into Chenal Valley, Wildwood Park for the Performing Arts is a blossoming 104 acres dedicated to the spiritual and intellectual development of its visitors. The park features multiple gardens, including the Boop Water Garden and the Gertrude Remmel Butler Garden. The property is also home to the Lucy Lockett Cabe Theatre, which holds 625 guests. This is one of the premier art venues near Little Rock.

About twenty minutes outside of Little Rock, the Wildwood Performing Arts Park is a convenient drive from the city and provides a great escape. Visitors will enjoy the beauty of the lands and gardens as well as the opportunity to enhance their spiritual and intellectual experiences through performing arts.